Tervo was raised in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. She grew up in Dodgeville, MI (pop. 500), where she created Shards Of Glass In Your Eye! in 1995. She attended the University of Michigan, where she majored in psychology. She earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland in 2004, where she concentrated on research in schizophrenia and neuropsychology. She is currently a forensic neuropsychology consultant and zine-maker.

Tervo created her first zine in 1987, when she was in 6th grade. Each issue had a run of one copy, created with 1/8 sheet notepaper and colored ballpoint pen (that four-clicker one!). "The Tervo Times" was a humor-and-gossip "newspaper" about current events, book characters, and classmates. Tervo distributed each of the two issues to that girl who sat in front of her.

Tervo uses writing as a means of turning her socially-inappropriate impulses into something tangible and productive. When she's not writing, she enjoys electronic dance music, making handcrafted worry stones, and amateur photojournalism. Historically, she has excelled at spelling bees. She lives in Los Angeles.

At this point in time, she appears to be constitutionally incapable of writing a zine without an exclamation point in the title. It just seemed like they were called for.

The Spring, 2011 issue of Photocopy Press re-printed Tervo's body-image essay, "In Defense of Thin Women," in its entirety. The essay had previously been published in Shards of Glass In Your Eye! #3.

The June, 2013 issue of Xerography Debt included a column by Kari Tervo called "Trader Schmoes." The column discussed zine-trading etiquette, and ended with a public service announcement in the form of a rap song.

Selfie Zine (release date TBA) by the People of Color Zine Project will include an essay by Tervo entitled "In the Right Light."

Other Creative Interests

Tervo is a member of the public-speaking group, Toastmasters, International. She has served a number of functional roles and has won several club awards for her prepared and impromptu speeches. In May, 2013, she gave a prepared speech about zines entitled "Zines 101: Welcome to Your World." In August, 2013, she won a Toastmasters Best Speaker award for a speech based on "Public-Speaking Smackdown!", a piece in Shards of Glass In Your Eye! #10 Additionally, Tervo enjoys karaoke, and won a local karaoke contest in May, 2013 for her rendition of Flo Rida's "In The Ayer." Other creative interests include participating in poetry readings, writing rap songs, and engaging in elaborate lottery fantasies.

Zines for Troops! collects zines and sends them to military members and injured veterans. The project operates under the auspices of non-profit organization Operation Paperback, which provides free reading materials to U.S. military members worldwide. People who donate zines receive two custom 1" buttons and their name on an Honor Roll on We Make Zines.